– TUF 3’S RORY SINGER COMING INTO HIS OWN

by Al Yu – MMAWeekly.com
Coming off of a hard fought victory over Josh Haynes at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3 – The Final Chapter, Rory Singer is preparing for his next appearance in the Octagon. The former Ultimate Fighter Season Three contestant took time out of his busy schedule to talk with MMAWeekly about his upcoming fight.

At UFC 62, David Terrell was supposed to face Yushin Okami but pulled out due an infection. The fight was rescheduled for UFC 66. Recently, Terrell announced that he would again be unable to fight due to an elbow injury. “When Terrell dropped out, I got a call from Joe Silva and he told me that my January fight was off because that opponent was injured…he needed a guy to fight [Yushin] Okami and I was the first one on his list,” explained Singer. “I called him back and said let’s do it.”

In his two UFC appearances, Yushin Okami has proven to be a very formidable opponent and remains undefeated in the Octagon. “I’ve been watching [his tapes], dissecting his wrestling and dissecting his stand-up…looking at his fights and seeing what his ‘go-to’ moves are and making sure my guys perform those on me; learning how to defend them the best I can. He’s a ground-n-pound guy so I can expect that if I’m on my back,” said Singer.

“I believe I’m the better stand-up fighter than he is striking-wise,” added Singer. “He’s certainly an impressive athlete and an experienced fighter. I expect it to be a hell of a fight. I have all the confidence in the world that I’m going to win on the 30th.”

UFC 66 has the potential to be one of the most successful UFC events in history. At the moment, Singer’s fight with Okami isn’t slated to be aired on the broadcast. “I would love for the fight to be on the Pay-Per-View obviously. I can’t go in there with the intention of fighting a specific fight to get on Pay-Per-View. I’m going to fight the fight regardless if it’s going to be on TV or not.”

Rory is fighting on an undercard that’s headlined by one of the most anticipated rematches in UFC history. The Hardcore Gym fighter gave his prediction for the main event. “I’m taking Chuck again. I think everyone underestimates his wrestling abilities,” stated Rory. “It’s not real easy to shoot on him, you’ve got to get through his huge reach and his tremendously heavy hands. In doing so, most guys get knocked unconscious. I think it’s going to go the same way as the first one…second or third round knockout.”

“I want to keep improving as a fighter. I’m coming into my own as a fighter now, finally being able to do this full time and dedicate myself to the fighting. It’s going to be great fight. I’m going to prove again that I belong in there.”